http://www.phoodie.info/2008/12/04/foodblob-yes-chicken-liquor/ The New Food And Drink Blog For Philadelphia Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:18:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://www.phoodie.info/2008/12/04/foodblob-yes-chicken-liquor/comment-page-1/#comment-738 cheesesteak the impaler Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:53:48 +0000 http://www.phoodie.info/2008/12/04/foodblob-yes-chicken-liquor/#comment-738 Isn't there some urban legend about "eating the worm" for hallucinogenic properties? My guess is it's entirely urban legend and more a joke about whoever drank their way through a bottle of mezcal to get to the worm in one sitting is going to be a mess. Isn’t there some urban legend about “eating the worm” for hallucinogenic properties? My guess is it’s entirely urban legend and more a joke about whoever drank their way through a bottle of mezcal to get to the worm in one sitting is going to be a mess.

]]> http://www.phoodie.info/2008/12/04/foodblob-yes-chicken-liquor/comment-page-1/#comment-733 Audrey Julienne Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:01:08 +0000 http://www.phoodie.info/2008/12/04/foodblob-yes-chicken-liquor/#comment-733 If you're grossed out by chicken liver used in the Mezcal distilling, wait to hear about what is generally put in Mezcal bottles: glass decorative elements, scorpions... or and that's what made Mezcal world-famous: a worm! The "worm" (sometimes more than one) commonly seen in bottles of mezcal is actually the larva of one of two kinds of insects. The most common type is that of the agave snout weevil. The "red worm" or "gusano rojo" is the caterpillar of the Hypopta agavis moth, one of the several kinds of "maguey worm", found on the agave plant. (Agave worms are sometimes found in the piña after harvesting). Many brands contain such worms. Some are named after the worm itself, as in Gusano Rojo and some are even named for the number of worms, e.g. Dos Gusanos, "Two Worms". Inside the mezcal, however, the worm is more a marketing substance, as it has lost its nutrients inside the bottle. If you’re grossed out by chicken liver used in the Mezcal distilling, wait to hear about what is generally put in Mezcal bottles: glass decorative elements, scorpions… or and that’s what made Mezcal world-famous: a worm!
The “worm” (sometimes more than one) commonly seen in bottles of mezcal is actually the larva of one of two kinds of insects. The most common type is that of the agave snout weevil. The “red worm” or “gusano rojo” is the caterpillar of the Hypopta agavis moth, one of the several kinds of “maguey worm”, found on the agave plant. (Agave worms are sometimes found in the piña after harvesting). Many brands contain such worms. Some are named after the worm itself, as in Gusano Rojo and some are even named for the number of worms, e.g. Dos Gusanos, “Two Worms”. Inside the mezcal, however, the worm is more a marketing substance, as it has lost its nutrients inside the bottle.

]]>